N.B. minister says Chantel Moore inquest recommendations being sent to police forces for review
New Brunswick’s minister of public safety said Friday morning that the recommendations on policing that have come out of the Chantel Moore coroner’s inquest will be reviewed by municipal police forces across the province over the next six months.
Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman, was fatally shot by police in Edmundston, N.B., in June 2020 during a wellness check after advancing toward an officer with a knife.
During a four-day inquest looking at the circumstances surrounding her death, five jurors came up with almost 20 recommendations - most dealing with police training and their access to less-lethal tools.
The jury called for strengthening best practices, like having two officers present during wellness checks, and ensuring access to Tasers and other less-lethal tools.
In addition, the jury recommends that police begin relationship-building with First Nations communities, potentially hiring a community liaison between a force and community.
Minister Bill Hogan said in the New Brunswick legislature Friday the recommendations will be forwarded to the appropriate agencies, like municipal police forces across the province.
"From the reading of the recommendations, I would agree that they look to be very good," he said. "However, I’m not in a position to say whether they'll all be implemented at this time, or whether or not they can do it in six months."
He said municipalities with their own police forces decide how resources are spent – like equipment.
"You can look at Woodstock for example. When I was on town council, we decided that we would buy some Tasers for our police officers so that they would have another option in situations where that was required," he said. "We couldn't afford to buy one for every officer all the time, so they had to be shared and we had to ensure they were charged up and ready to use."
One of the recommendations was to establish an independent agency to investigate serious incidents involving police officers, who would have a good understanding of the policing system in New Brunswick.
In October 2021, the province reached an agreement "in principle" with Nova Scotia that would allow New Brunswick to use its Serious Incident Response Team when incidents occur.
That legislation is still being worked on, and while Hogan said the agency likely won’t have a permanent office in New Brunswick, "they will have access to all the resources our police officers would have and they’ll have the same authority."
The City of Edmundston declined to comment on the outcome or recommendations from the inquest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.